Manufacture of wooden articles



Jan. 15, 1924. 1,480,658

'W. F. BOSTQCK MANUFACTURE OF WOODEN ARTICLES Filed July 29. 1920 Patented Jan. l5, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFHQE.

WILLIAM F. BOSTOCK, OE BRAINTREE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE- MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

MANUFACTURE OF WOODEN ARTICLES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, WILLIAM F. BOSTOCK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Braintree, in the county of Norfolk and 'State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in the Manufacture of Wooden Articles, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to the manufacture of Wooden articles, and particularly the invention is set forth with relation to the manufacture of lasts for boots and shoes, although it is not so limited in various aspects.

Shoe lasts are generally turned in a last lathe from blocks of hard wood, generally maple, with the grain running lengthwise of the last and the convex surfaces of the annular rings toward the bottom of the last. It is found that when the lasts are subjected to stress such as that of the heeling machine in the operation of nailing heels upon the shoes carried by-the lasts, the heel portions of the last are frequently cracked, split or even shattered by the operation' It is an object of the present invention to avoid this and other difiiculties by providing lasts which, among other, improved qualities, shall be amply strong to resist the heeling machine blow without sacrificing to a prejudicial extent the advantages of lightness and convenience in handling and cheapness of manufacture.

I have found that lasts are much more resistant to shocks of the kind described and in other respects of improved quality ifthe wood of which they are composed has been compacted andrendered dense by pressure. Accordingly, the present invention contemplates the substantial compression, preferably before manufacture, of wood used in the .making of objects in which peculiar strength and firmness is requisite.

In this aspect of the inventioml contemplate, in particular, the compression of wood such as the wood from which the heel portions of shoe lasts are made, or if desired, of the wood from which the entire lasts or other article is made. I prefer to effect this compression before the last is turned,

thus avoiding any change in 'shape consequent on the compression.

A feature of, the invention consists in a last or last-block having its fibers condensed and compacted by pressure. Another feature of the im'ention consists in novel means for effecting the desired compression. Preferably a box-like structure arranged to support the wood firmly at the sides is used, in combination with a plunger arranged to effect the compression.

These and other features of the invention comprising certain combinations and ar rangements of parts will be understood from the. following description of a preferred embodiment thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a. cross-section of a rough last block before compression.

Fig. 2 illustrates the compressing operation.

Fig. 3 is a cross-section ofthe same last block after compression, and

Fig. 4 illustrates the manufacture of the last from the compressed block.

The rough last block, preferably reduced to rectangular form, is shown in Fig. 1. The block is placed in a strong metallic frame 10 comprising two separabl side pieces 12 and 14 which may be fastened together in horizontal cross-section as the last block and opening in the frame is arranged at the end of a plunger 24 operating in a sleeve 26 and arranged in connection with a power operated press so that an adequately great compression can be applied by lowering it upon the last block 18. The last block is compressed to adesired degree (I have found that a compression to less than of the original bulk can be used with entirely beneficial results) and the last block is then removed from the frame by loosening the bolts 16, if necessary; The block will then appear as shown in Fig. 3, and i have found that it exhibits no spontaneous tendency to increase in volume. It is then placed 'in a last lathe in the manner well understood to workers in this art and a last 26 is turned from it.

I have found that lasts made in this man-' ner are much stronger and able to resist better the blow of the heeling machine than lasts made of uncompressed wood. The characteristicsof the wood are found to be substantially altered by the compression. It'becomesharder, denser, and firmer. The increase in weight due to the compression is small and causes little inconvenience. The compression has been found to inflict no damage whatever upon the wood provided it is adequately laterally supported as by the 7 frame 10.

While I have shown an entire last block as being compressed by the plunger 22, it is of course not necessary that the entire block be treated in this way as the forepart of the last has been found to wear satisfactorily under the stresses of machine shoemaking without this treatment and treatment of the block from which the heel part is made by means of the present invention is all that is necessary to produce a thoroughly strong and satisfacto last. The procedure, of manufactu t e last as a whole is, however, simpler 1n case the entire block is compressed and the last out therefrom in the ordinary llaving described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. That improvement in the art of manufacturing lasts which consists in compress- V ing the block normally to it annual layers while holding it fir y supported tangentially thereto, placing it in a last lathe and turning it to the desired shape.

2. A wooden last block havin its bottom out from the periphery of the le having its fibers condensed and com acted by pres- WILLIAM F. BOSTOCK. 

